Electrochemical lithium storage performance of ternary Zn–Co–Ni alloy thin film as negative electrodes by electrodeposition method

Ternary Zn–Co–Ni alloy film electrode as an anode has been investigated, for the first time, for the purpose of electrochemical lithium storage in lithium-ion batteries. In this study, the ternary Zn–Co–Ni alloy film electrode is prepared by electroplating method. The electrodes were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), FE-SEM with EDX, and impedance studies. The electrochemical results demonstrate that the Zn–Co–Ni alloy film electrode delivers an initial discharge capacity of 281 mAh g−1 and improves to 650 mAh g−1 at the end of 30th cycling with no capacity fading at 0.1 C rate. The charge–discharge properties of the Zn–Co–Ni alloy film electrode are as follows: insertion capacity of 650 mAh g−1 and delithiation capacity of 512 mAh g−1 in the 30th cycling, coulombic efficiency of about 80.0% and good cycling behavior. The results suggest that the ternary Zn–Co–Ni alloy thin film electrode obtained via electroplating shows a good candidate anode material for lithium-ion batteries.

• Ternary Zn–Co–Ni alloy film electrode has been attempted, for the first time, to investigate its availability for lithium-ion batteries. • The initial discharge capacity is 281 mAh g−1 and improves to 650 mAh g−1 at the end of 30th cycling with no capacity fading. • The coulombic efficiency in the discharge and charge processes is maintained as high as approximately 80.0%, except for the initial several cycles, at 0.1 C current rate.